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Suddenly the game was set up just as Hammers manager Slaven Bilic would have dreamed it.

A Roberto Firmino blast full on the post, an equaliser inches away but it might as well have been miles.

An apparent stray word from Philippe Coutinho first half and a yellow which became a red early in the second half to wipe out any thoughts of a stirring comeback.

A great start of 10 points out of 12 suddenly became an average one of just seven. The fine margins are ultimately what matter.

Does Joachim Low know something we don't?

Emre Can was this week called into the Germany squad for matches against Scotland and Poland next month.

Interestingly, German manager Joachim Low listed him as a defender in his squad, despite the 21-year-old featuring only as a midfielder for the Reds this year.

Can of course has had his time as a defender at Anfield last year, fairly impressively as a third centre-back and fairly disastrously as right-back.

Rodgers recently said his best position will be as a controlling midfielder.

Emre Can struggled

Unfortunately, even alongside another 'holder' in Lucas Leiva, they could exert precious little control on a West Ham side which broke with pace and intent, Dimitri Payet particularly impressive.

Can has always looked better when moving forward into space and in his 45 minutes on the pitch he completed just four of 10 passes in the attacking third.

His recovery tackles after losing the ball are great to watch but an accurate ball in the first place would surely be even better?

Can remains an excellent prospect but his best position remains frustratingly difficult to quantify. His position for the second half was back in the dressing room – and there's no future in that.

Lovren and Skrtel no done deal just yet

Rodgers feels confidence is a big part of improvements in Dejan Lovren's game this year and attempted to lift it further by speaking of the Croatian as someone who can be a “top player” at Liverpool on the eve of the game.

Nothing wrong in that but he may have some more whispering to do in the £20m man's ear after this uneven display.

An attempted double step over near half way sounded the alarm bells – it ended just the way you'd expect – but it was swiftly followed by worse.

He and Manuel Lanzini's tangle on the Main Stand touchline initially prompted amusement on the Kop as the linesman nearly went for an undignified tumble.

Liverpool's Dejan Lovren is dejected

Laughs swiftly disappeared as Lovren's horrible miscontrol on the byline brought 2-0 in an instant.

He wasn't all bad though, even completing 21 out of 22 passes within the attacking third and being responsible for Liverpool's only shot on target.

Indeed his defensive partner Skrtel – generally seen as a safer bet – contributed a weak head to the first goal and failed to close for the third.

Mamadou Sakho's hopes of getting back in the French side may have taken an upturn after this eye-opening setback but you suspect Rodgers will stick with his men for a good while yet.

Lies, damned lies and statistics

So Rachel Platten will take her place alongside the Beatles – and I suspect it's the only thing they'll ever share.

West Ham don't win at Anfield in the league you see. Not since She Loves You was number one anyway. Not since 1963.

Platten's Tough Fight will now be the new answer to all those quiz questions – but the Reds didn't really put up one.

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Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho have matched the achievements of Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst in scoring in a winning cause at Anfield, though the latter pair will always share something rather more important too.

First half? Abject from Liverpool but those stats would have you confused. The home side had 71% possession, by the end they still had 63% and almost double the number of passes of their opponents. They were well beaten though. Apart from the scoreboard, the most damning statistic was simple.

Liverpool had just one shot on target. That just won't get it done, even against a second choice keeper, so underworked you forget he was there.

The refereeing Gods will always come back to bite you...

Liverpool have had their fair share of decisions in the first few weeks of the season.

Tommy Elphick's disallowed goal for Bournemouth, Christian Benteke's non-offside in front of the Kop, Ramsey flagged at the Emirates after breaking the deadlock.

Enter Kevin Friend (stage left via Walton Breck Road).

His performance wasn't the deciding factor here but it was bad enough to stir even another subdued Kop – a Kop without many of its traditional flags due to a fans' group dispute with the club by the way – into howling disdain.

Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho is shown a second yellow card by referee Kevin Friend

The big ones were two possible shouts for penalties on Benteke, one in each half, which on another day could certainly have given Liverpool a barely-deserved route back into the game.

Angelo Ogbonna was the man flying closely to the wind for the Hammers.

Coutinho must take some blame for his dismissal, needlessly picking up a yellow for dissent in the first half, but he seemed more run over by Payet than definitely fouling him for his crucial second.

Generally Friend simply lost control of a game which barely had a bad tackle in it, leaving tempers frayed all round.

The late sending-off of Noble was just as wrong as many decisions which had gone before.

Mr Friend may find his name missing from the Premier League list for a week or two beyond the international break.